UPTON, NY - BioSurface Engineering Technologies, Inc. (BioSET),
of College Park, Maryland, has obtained an exclusive worldwide license to
a novel growth factor technology developed by scientists at the U.S.
Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory in collaboration
with BioSET researchers. The Brookhaven-BioSET team made biologically
active synthetic analogs of two growth factors, including basic fibroblast
growth factor for use in wound healing and radiation protection, as well
as other applications.

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) refers to a family of proteins in the
human body responsible for the proliferation, repair and survival of cells
in many tissues, including the brain, vascular system, and muscle. Basic
fibroblast growth factor is used clinically in Japan for the treatment of
diabetic foot ulcers. It also has been evaluated in clinical trials in the
U.S. for its ability to enhance neurological recovery after stroke and to
minimize the effects of ischemia, or insufficient blood flow in the heart
and circulatory system.

Brookhaven National Laboratory scientists (from left) Louis Peña,
Xinhua Lin and John Glass, and BioSurface Engineering Technologies,
Inc. scientist Paul Zamora (not in photo) have developed a group of
synthetic analogs that completely mimic the action of natural
fibroblast growth factor.

The new analogs developed at Brookhaven are proteins that are easier to
produce than natural growth factors or growth factors derived by
recombinant techniques. BioSET has taken an exclusive license to
Brookhaven’s bioactive analogs and improved techniques for making the
analogs. Several of these bioactive analogs are currently in testing.

Thomas Roueché, BioSET’s president, said, “Our team is committed to
developing these new, bioactive coatings for the biomedical and
biopharmaceutical industries. We are very encouraged by the performance of
these totally synthetic growth factor analogs as compared to currently
available recombinant growth factors, many of which are either already approved for use or are being evaluated in end-state clinical
trials for the treatment of serious disease states. We believe synthetic
analogs may provide a valuable alternative with improved safety, cost and
efficacy.”

“This technology is unique because these growth factor analogs are
chemically synthesized,” said Louis Peña, Brookhaven’s principal
researcher in the project. “This should result in significant cost
savings, compared to current methods of producing growth factors, and it
gives us a great deal of control in making useful modifications. Our
studies show that the FGF analogs are active and biologically equivalent
to natural FGF, and that they work in animal models of human disease. What
makes some of this possible is that our analogs specifically adhere to
BioSET’s coatings.”

Based on their preliminary research, the scientists believe the new
growth factor technology will be important in developing local and
regional therapies to treat wounds and other diseases, especially when
combined with BioSET’s heparin-based growth factor technology. BioSET’s
unique, modified heparin is a coating that allows local and regional
delivery of proteins in their most bioactive form.

Paul Zamora, BioSET’s chief scientific officer, said, “We view this as
a platform technology to develop analogs to many types of growth factors
of current clinical interest, including those used to accelerate bone
repair, treat ischemic tissue and wound healing. Initial animal studies
have shown that one of the analogs speeds healing of deep skin wounds.
Other animal studies suggest that the analogs may also be useful in
treating mucositis, a side effect of some cancer treatments. Therefore,
this technology could serve several large and different market needs.”

The National Institutes of Health and BioSET supported this research.

About BioSurface Technologies, Inc.
BioSurface Engineering Technologies, Inc., a private, development-stage
company, has over 12 years of development expertise in organic and plasma
chemistries designed to enhance surface characteristics of medical
products. The company is focused on licensing its proprietary lubricious,
thrombo-resistant and diffusion barrier technologies to medical device
manufacturers around the world. In addition, BioSET maintains an active
program in synthetic peptide development as an alternative to recombinant
production methodologies and loco-regional delivery technology for
biomedical and biopharmaceutical industries. BioSET’s web address is
www.biosetinc.com

The
U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts
research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences, as
well as in energy technologies. Brookhaven also builds and operates
major facilities available to university, industrial, and government
scientists. The Laboratory is managed by Brookhaven Science
Associates, a limited liability company founded by Stony Brook
University and Battelle, a nonprofit applied science and technology
organization.